Sony Unveils SmartWatch 3 With Stainless Steel Design

Sony kicked off CES 2015 showing off it's new stainless steel designed SmartWatch 3. The SmartWatch 3 was originally released in October of 2014, but Sony has taken the opportunity at CES to give us updated, high end design.

Other than the new stainless steel design, this SmartWatch 3 variant is identical to the one released a few months ago. It’s packing a 1.6-inch 320×320 display with a 1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm professor and 512MB of RAM. The chassis is IP68 certified for dust and water resistance, even with the new steel design.

This design enhancement is most likely an effort by Sony to make the Android Wear powered SmartWatch 3 appeal to more fashion focused customers. The original SmartWatch 3 was geared mainly towards the athletic type, with its silicon design.

Sony has yet to announce pricing for the steel SmartWatch 3, although saying the device will be available sometime in January. The SmartWatch 3 without a stainless steel band currently runs $249.99, so we would expect the stainless steel model to come in at at least $300.

Apple Awarded Broad MacBook Air Patent For Wedge Design

The ultrabook movement might die before it even gets started. At CES this past January, manufacturers from Lenovo to Dell to Samsung championed the razor-thin computers as the next big thing. But a “broad” patent recently awarded to Apple might mean trouble for the swelling ultrabook market.

The patent in question, according to The Verge, covers the Air’s wedge design (as shown by the solid lines in the above picture), meaning that any ultrabook that falls into this category is fair game. And because the patent is so broad, Apple is within its rights to go after manufacturers that make ultrabooks that look sorta, kinda the same, but employ an overall design that clearly shows a noticeable difference.

Skype Exec Confirms Windows Phone App 'Coming Soon'

Who doesn't love a little bit of old fashioned synergy? Speaking to a Microsoft representative in the Microsoft CES booth holding a Microsoft microphone, VP of products for Microsoft-owned Skype, Rick Osterloh, made mention of the VoIP service's plans to make its way onto Microsoft's mobile operating system. Says Osterloh, "We're working on a Windows Phone product that will be coming out soon." 

LightSquared’s LTE Woes Coming To An End, But Not The Way They Planned

The National Space-Based Positioning, Navigation and Timing Executive Committee may have just tapped the final nail in LightSquared’s LTE coffin. A memo released yesterday by the nine federal agencies that make up the committee deemed that LightSquared’s proposed LTE plans would interfere with existing GPS satellites in a way that cannot be fixed.

The troubled wireless internet service provider is still awaiting FCC approval in their quest to build a Long-Term-Evolution network, which was the foundation of a now delayed partnership with Sprint. If LightSquared is officially shot down, the Now Network will have to explore other avenues in order to further advance their already running Network Vision campaign.

Sprint recently unveiled three new LTE devices at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, that are currently slated to be released in the first half of 2012. With such aggressive moves being made, it’s doubtful that LightSquared’s current situation will completely derail Sprint’s planned deployment of a nationwide LTE network. But this setback could very well slow things down. Here’s to hoping that Sprint has a backup plan.

CES Huawei Announces Ascend P1 S Smartphone

Huawei unveiled the company’s latest Android-powered smartphone, the Ascend P1 S. The device features an incredibly slim design, measuring a mere 6.68mm — even slimmer than Motorola’s 7.1mm DROID RAZR. The device sports a 4.3-inch qHD Super AMOLED display with a 1.5GHz TI OMAP 4460 dual-core processor and 1GB of RAM. On the backside, the Ascend has an 8-megapixel camera with a dual-LED flash and a 1.3-megapixel front facing camera. Huawei also announced the Ascend P1, which packs similar features in a thicker 7.69mm profile. Both devices feature Corning’s Gorilla Glass and will run a clean version of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. Pricing has not been announced, however we can expect to see both of these devices within the second quarter of 2012. Read on for Huawei’s full press release. 

Las Vegas, U.S.A., January 9, 2012: Huawei, a leading global information and communications technology (ICT) solutions provider, unveiled the world’s slimmest smartphone today at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show (CES). The Huawei Ascend P1 S is 6.68mm thin and features a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED 960 x 540 touchscreen with Corning® Gorilla® Glass. The Ascend P1 S is also the fastest and most compact smartphone in its class with a dual-core 1.5GHz TI OMAP 4460 Cortext-A9 processor and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system.

“We’re excited to unveil the world’s slimmest smartphone here at CES 2012,” said Richard Yu, Chairman of Huawei Device. “The Ascend P1 S demonstrates our ongoing commitment to innovating high quality devices that utilize the latest hardware and software technologies.”

Huawei also unveiled the Ascend P1 which, as part of the same smartphone series, boasts the same functionality while measuring 7.69mm. Delivering the ultimate in elegance and speed with a 1670mAh/1800mAh battery, the Huawei Ascend P1/P1 S series provides the fastest multi-tasking, video replay and gaming experience in its class.

The Huawei Ascend P1/P1 S series feature a super-sleek and narrow 64.8mm body, elegant contours and an effortlessly stylish design. The PPVD back cover coating evenly distributes heat, and provides a strong metallic, three-dimensional design with a delicate texture. The Ascend P1/P1 S is available in metallic black, ceramic white and cherry-blossom pink with more colors to come to match your personal style wherever you are, whatever you’re doing.

The Ascend P1/P1 S brings your digital world to life with its impressive 8-megapixel BSI rear-facing and 1.3-megapixel HD front-facing cameras with dual flash LED and HDR effect optimization. The Ascend P1/P1 S allows you to capture special moments in sharper, brighter and clearer detail both in light and dim environments. Relive your most memorable moments on the Huawei Ascend P1/P1 S with its stunning 1080p HD video-capture capabilities. Its high speed data connectivity through 3G, WiFi and Bluetooth and in-built social media capabilities enable you to instantly share your photos and videos via social media.

The Huawei Ascend P1/P1 S will be available in Europe, Asia-Pacific, North America, Australia, Middle East, and China from April 2012.

Rumor, Galaxy Note Heading to Sprint

Though the Samsung Galaxy Nexus is still absent from Sprint’s rich roster of smartphones, it appears that another Samsung giant may be on the way. A proven source close to SprintFeed states that the Samsung Galaxy Note is set to make its way to the Now Network. They were not able provide release specifics, but suspect that CES might be the platform used to announce the Note’s U.S. arrival.

The Sprint variant of the Galaxy Note is said to carry similar specs to its cousin from across the pond. It remains unsure if this device will sport an ill fated WiMAX connection, but LTE is pretty much out of the question. No matter what the Note’s connection turns out to be, the question is, would you buy a 5.3-inch phone/tablet hybrid? For those of you that are somehow unfamiliar with what the Samsung Galaxy Note is, we’ve tacked on a brief promo video for your viewing pleasure.

HTC Elite flagship phone and 4G LTE Windows Phone to hit AT&T in early 2012

BGR has learned from a trusted source that HTC is preparing to switch up the company’s strategy a bit in 2012. In order to focus getting quality products to market, we have heard that HTC’s release schedule is going to be shockingly quiet for most of the first quarter next year. HTC will also release fewer phones overall in 2012 compared to 2011, we’re told. We’ve also been given exclusive details surrounding several upcoming phones from the Taiwan-based vendor, including HTC’s first 4G Windows Phone for AT&T and its flagship Android handset for the first half of the year. 

HTC is currently set to deliver an HTC Titan-like smartphone with a 4.7-inch display and 4G LTE to AT&T — the first LTE Windows Phone we know of — and the release date is currently slated for February 5th, so we should expect a CES announcement. Additionally, we got word that HTC’s flagship handset for the first half of 2012 will be called the HTC Elite. Joining the HTC Ville and HTC Edge, the Elite will obviously run Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and it will also have Beats Audio as well. AT&T is going to carry the handset according to our source, and it may launch as the “HTC Congressional,” sad though it may be. The phone is currently scheduled to launch during the first or second week of April. That’s all we have for you for the time being, but stay tuned as we’re working on getting our hands on photos of both phones.

Sprint Sets the Table for a CES

The Now Network is sending out some artsy invites for their upcoming CES shindig. Set for January 10th 2012, immediately following Intel boss Paul Otellini’s keynote, we can’t help but wonder if there’s some type of connection here? We’re mighty curious to see what Sprint has in store for us and we’re really trying to figure out this whole origami theme that they’ve got going on. Perhaps they’ll finally unveil that EVO successor that we’ve all been waiting for, or maybe we’ll see a new tablet announced? Whatever the case may be, we’ll do our absolute best to find out early, but worst case scenario is that we’ll find out “next year.”