Android Comes to Samsung Cameras,... - ABC News
Samsung's Galaxy S line of Android phones, including the recent Galaxy S4, has been a hit for the company. But now the company is hoping to bring that Android success and familiarity to other products. Or at least allow Android users the ability to get to their Android apps across a number of devices, even if they run on a Windows PC or a camera.
At a press conference in London today, the company unveiled two new products that incorporate the Android operating system: the ATIV Q Windows 8 tablet and the Galaxy NX camera.
Samsung's ATIV line of tablets have all run Windows 8 (unlike its Galaxy Tab or Galaxy Note line, which are powered by Google's Android software). With the announcement of the ATIV Q, users can own a tablet that switches between Windows 8 and Android on the fly. Patrick Pavel, the VP of European ATIV Marketing for Samsung, added that Android apps can be pinned to the Windows task bar, as well as opened directly in Windows 8.
The idea of Android running on a Windows 8 PC isn't entirely new -- Lenovo and Asus have done similar things with allowing Android to run separately. However, Samsung's new features make the apps and the Google operating system more integrated than other products.
While converting between Android and Windows is a big draw for the ATIV Q, the tablet itself can also convert. Flipping the screen up reveals a keyboard hiding underneath. The display can also be oriented completely parallel or perpendicular to the keyboard, depending on whatever configuration is best for the user.
The display itself is impressive too. Samsung calls it QHD+, cramming 275 pixels per inch on a 13.3 inch display. The tablet itself is only 13.9 mm thick, weighs in at 1.29 kg (approximately 3 pounds), and claims to have nine hours of battery life.
The Android love doesn't end there. Similiar to the Galaxy Camera released last year, Samsung unveiled the Galaxy NX camera. The camera is also outfitted with Android and allows photographers to download apps like Instagram or Facebook and instantly share their photos over the camera's 4G LTE connection.
"You will always be connected so you can share photos and HD video anywhere and anytime," Jean-Daniel Ayme, the VP of European Telecom Operations, said at the event. He also said it is the world's first interchangeable lens camera with 4G LTE.
As for the hardware itself, the camera includes a 20.3-megapixel sensor and a large 4.8 inch display. The camera also houses a 1.6GHz quad-core processor and a separate image signaling processor that gives it more speed and power compared with other digital cameras. No U.S. pricing or availability was released, but expect it to cost more than the $500 Galaxy Camera, which was released last year.
Ativ Q: a first look at Samsung's new Windows 8 and Android hybrid laptop - The Verge
Samsung has just announced one of its latest laptops: the Ativ Q. It dual-boots Android 4.2.2 and Windows 8 in a 13.3-inch device with a super high-resolution display running at 3200 x 1800. Samsung has bundled in its S Pen stylus in a magnesium device. It looks like Acer's Aspire R7, but it's .55 inches and 2.84 pounds so it feels a lot lighter.
The Ativ Q has a unique feature that lets it switch to Android from within Windows 8. It appears to be an application that virtualizes the Android experience, with an app pinned to the Windows 8 Start Screen that launches straight into Android. It runs fullscreen, but it's not usable it you try to snap it to the side and continue using a Windows 8 app.
Like the R7 it also has a hinge that allows you to use it in a variety of modes. You can push the display outwards to reveal a keyboard that feels a little small and which doesn't have trackpad, with a nub instead. The first mode in the traditional sense, but then you can manoeuvre the screen to make it look like a serving tray, before laying it flat. The Ativ Q also supports a mode that will place the screen at the front of the device like a stand almost.
Overall it feels and looks very much like a Samsung device, with a brushed metal appearance on the frame and a matte finish at the rear.
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Samsung Unveils Ativ Q, Ativ Tab 3 Windows 8 Tablets - PC Magazine
Samsung today unveiled two new, Windows-8 powered tablets, the Ativ Q and Ativ Tab 3.
The Ativ Q is a convertible device that will allow users to tap into Windows 8 or Android 4.2.2.; switch seamlessly between the two and even pin Android apps to the Windows 8 start screen.
"Users will not only get access to Android apps via Google Play but will also be able to transfer files to share folders and files from Windows 8 to Android, truly marrying the mobile and PC experiences," Samsung said.
The tablet includes a 13.3-inch touch screen with a 3,200-by-1,800 display, which Samsung said offers 2.8 times higher pixel density (275ppi) than full HD displays. Samsung also promised easy viewing in sunlight.
The Ativ Q has a hinge design for four modes: Lay it flat over the keyboard for tablet mode; raise the display upright to reveal the keyboard underneath so that it functions like a laptop (above); float and adjust the display to view at an angle; or flip the display to place in the stand mode to watch movies (right).
The gadget comes in at 13.9mm and weighs just under 3 pounds. It runs an Intel Core i5 processor and Intel HD Graphics 4400, has 4GB DDR3L, a 128GB SSD, a 720p HD camera, and up to 9 hours of battery life. It will come in black.
Acer tried something similar recently with its Acer Aspire R7.
The Ativ Tab 3 (below), meanwhile, is the world's thinnest Windows 8 laptop, Samsung said, at 8.2mm.
The 10.1-inch Ativ Tab 3 features a 1,366-by-768 display, and sports the popular Galaxy design. There's an S Pen included, which will be compatible with Microsoft Office. The Windows 8-based Ativ Tab 3 will come pre-loaded with Office Home & Student, and can run Windows apps and programs.
Like the Ativ Q, the Tab 3 also includes an S Pen. Both devices also include SideSync, allowing users to sync activity with their Android-based Samsung smartphones.
"Simply use the PC keyboard to respond to a text on a mobile phone; view maps on a larger screen, display photos and videos on both devices to make editing files even easier; or use an Ativ PC to back up and charge mobile devices," Samsung said.
The Ativ Tab 3 runs an Intel Atom Z2760 processor, has 2GB LPDDR2, 64GB of eMMC, a 720p HD camera, and up to 10 hours of battery life. It weighs about 1.2 pounds and will come in white.
"Busy lives demand convenience, and the convertible nature of these tablets delivers the versatility, mobility and adaptability consumers should expect from personal computing today," DJ Lee, Samsung's marketing chief, said in a statement. "These tablets are the result of people-centric innovation, and they were designed to provide consumers the flexibility to manage their digital lives on their terms whether they are in the office, at home or on the go."
Samsung unveiled its new Ativ lineup at an event in London this afternoon, where it also showed off the new Samsung Galaxy NX camera. For more, see PCMag's hands on.
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Samsung's Ativ Q: The best case yet for Microsoft's vision of the future? - Gizmag
Microsoft's bold, mobile-centric vision for Windows 8 hasn't exactly been universally embraced. But now we might be getting a whiff of the kind of future the company was planning for. Enter the Samsung Ativ Q, a convertible x86 tablet with a thin build and an extremely high-resolution screen. Is this the future, or just another car that flies and floats?
Details
There's still a lot we don't know, but the Ativ Q shows the promise of being the most intriguing Windows 8 device since the Surface Pro. The Ativ Q can be used as a tablet, but its attached keyboard also gives it built-in productivity. As you can see in the top image above, the convertible can be folded several different ways for different uses.
The Ativ Q has a huge 13.3-inch touchscreen, with some out-of-this-world resolution: 3200 x 1800, or 275 pixels per inch (PPI). Even with its on-board keyboard, it only measures 13.9 mm thick, just a hair thicker than the Surface Pro without its keyboard cover.
The Q packs a Haswell Intel Core i5 processor, which Samsung says allows "up to nine hours" battery life. We're guessing that estimate is based on standard web browsing (which would put it in the same ballpark as the new Haswell-based 11-inch MacBook Air).
The Ativ Q is compatible with Samsung's S Pen stylus, for help with those projects that require a bit more precision. Unlike Surface, the S Pen docks within the tablet itself, similar to Samsung's Galaxy Note series of phablets and tablets.
The biggest question mark is price. Samsung hasn't said anything on that front, but we don't expect it to come cheap. Intel chip, extremely high-res screen, built-in keyboard ... those ingredients should add up to at least a US$1,000 price tag.
Windows ... and Android?
But wait, we haven't even mentioned what might be the Ativ Q's killer feature. It runs both Windows 8 and Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean. It lets you run Android apps from Google Play, and even transfer files back and forth between Windows and Android.
This attacks what might be Windows 8's weakest point: developer support for new touch-centric apps. Suddenly a bevy of mobile apps that aren't yet stocked in the Windows Store are available at your fingertips.
Windows 8's redemption?
For a while now, it's been easy to sneer at Microsoft's changes in Windows 8. The leader was leading, but many customers weren't following (or were so very grudgingly). With both Windows and Android in tow, the Ativ Q might live up on that promise of merging the best of tablets and PCs in one device. It's enough to make us wonder if those seeds Microsoft planted could end up bearing some sweet fruit after all ... with a little help from Samsung.
Source: Samsung
Samsung Ativ Q tablet runs both Windows 8 and Android - BBC News
Samsung's new tablet runs both the Windows and Android operating systems Samsung has unveiled a tablet that can switch between the Windows 8 and Android operating systems.
The Ativ Q has a 13.3in (33.8cm) screen that sits over a keyboard that can be folded out for typing or set to act as a stand. In addition it has a stylus.
It comes just over a fortnight after Asus unveiled its own laptop-tablet hybrid which also runs both Microsoft and Google's systems.
One analyst said he expected this to be a trend that other firms would follow.
"It's a very cost-effective way for manufacturers to offer extra value to consumers at a time when it's very hard to differentiate benefits from one device to another," said Chris Green, principal technology analyst at Davies Murphy Group.
"You can tap into the industry-standard Windows productivity solutions - from Office to third-party programs - as well as all the mobile apps of Google's system. It's the logical next step."
The Ativ Q runs off Intel's new Haswell chip and Samsung said it offered up to nine hours of battery life. It added that the device's screen had been designed to be bright enough to be used outside on a sunny day.
The launch was announced at a press conference in London.
Android camera
Samsung also showed off another touchscreen computer, the Ativ Tab 3 which it described as the world's thinnest tablet to run the full Windows 8 system, as well as new PCs.
Among the other announcements was the Galaxy NX - a camera which allows its lenses to be changed, runs off the Android system and supports 4G data transfers.
It marks the firm's latest attempt to sell a device which offers higher quality images than the typical smartphone, but also allows pictures and video to be edited with apps and uploaded to the internet.
Samsung added an Android-powered interchangeable lens camera to its Galaxy line-up It adds to a product line that also includes a handset featuring a 10x optical zoom.
"The Galaxy NX camera looks impressive and is more likely to appeal to serious photographers than its S4 Zoom, which is quite a bulky smartphone because of the lens on the back," said Graeme Neill, deputy editor at Mobile Today.
"Samsung's main difference from its rival Apple is the sheer volume of products it brings to market.
"It is really determined to be making a smartphone, tablet, camera and laptop for everybody, from those who want high-end devices to consumers on a budget."
The announcements come at a time when the South Korean firm's stock has come under pressure.
Samsung Electronics shares have fallen by nearly 14% since 4 June after a number of banks cut their profit forecasts for the company.
They said they were worried its flagship Android device, the Galaxy S4, was not selling as well as they had previously predicted and raised concerns about rising competition from Chinese smart device makers.
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