Future proof phones are always a good value, and it turns out we’ve had future-proof phones for a while now. Hardware of 2013 still remains competitive for those who want a decent user experience. That year also brought some great phones, so which ones have stood the test of time the best?
LG is all set to dip its toes into the race of mobile payment systems with the launch of its own service as early as next month. Rumored to be called LG Pay, the system will see the company signing deals with major Korean card companies in a bid to race ahead of Samsung, Google and Apple in the mobile payment market.
The Fairphone 2 is the second modular smartphone from the small dutch company that released the first one at the end of 2013. This time around iFixit gives the device a repairability score of 10 out of 10 and noted that while the LCD and glass are fused (which makes it easier to remove), replacing the panel will cost more than if they were kept separate.
At its 2015 Investors Forums, Samsung took the wraps of the BRITECELL camera sensor that has been in the works at the company. The technology builds up on the previously developed ISOCELL sensors, focusing on improving low light performance. The sensor also makes use of PDAF (Phase Detection Auto Focus) for quicker focus action.
Sony is amongst one of the very few major OEM’s in today’s market which continue to be known for their developer friendly attitude. They not only make promises to become more developer friendly than what they already are, they actually work upon realizing these promises, something which cannot be said for other manufacturers.
Today, Sony has released an experimental Camera app for AOSP on Sony Xperia devices. The app is available for select devices in the Sony Open Device Program, something we’ve talked about with Sony in the past. The list of phones and tablets include Xperia Z series, Z2 series, Z3 series and Xperia Z3+ and Z4 Tablet. The implementation is not currently available for the Xperia Z5 series of smartphones, and other Xperia devices like the M2, E3 and T3; all of which, Sony assures, will be added in the near future.
There are a few things to note here. First and foremost, and with a lot of additional stress on this aspect, this open source camera implementation is for developers only, and not for daily consumer-level usage. The main goal of the this open source implementation is to allow greater ease of working with AOSP on Xperia devices, and to promote innovation on a broader spectrum. Developers can now create AOSP based custom roms with basic camera functionality. The open source camera is based off Qualcomm’s framework with an aim to allow developers to experiment and innovate, and as such, lacks all the bells and whistles added by Sony specifically for its devices. It does not contain any Sony enhancements, nor is it calibrated and will not be a replacement for your daily camera needs as lags and crashes are to be expected.
The initial release of the open source camera has been tested only with the AOSP Lollipop MR1 build guide. The latest AOSP resources already include the new camera, so you can sync and start building right away!
Sony’s trait of developer friendliness is certainly not going unnoticed by us. Acts like these and others, like releasing the Android 6.0 binaries for Xperia devices, certainly helps the developer community in the long run. Actions speak louder than words, and they are certainly doing that for Sony, in a very good way.
What are your thoughts on Sony’s continued efforts towards the developer community? Let us know in the comments below!
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The Elephone P8000, a device we have reviewed before, is about to make a return in a version B. This new version will support North American and Latin American bands 2, 4, 7, 17 and 38. The device is scheduled to hit the markets in early December, and is amongst one of the phones set to come from the company.
