Panasonic Lumix GX7 mirrorless camera leaks with tilting viewfinder and retro style

Details of Panasonic's long-awaited follow-up to the popular Lumix GX1 Micro Four Thirds camera appear to have leaked.

According to an image spotted on Fotomagazine.de and specs reported by 4/3 Rumors, the GX7 will feature a tilting electronic viewfinder, on-sensor image stabilization, a 16- or 18-megapixel sensor, a tilting 3-inch screen, and Wi-Fi and NFC connectivity.

The camera also appears to have taken more than a little influence from Fujifilm's X series, with metal construction and the option of a retro-style silver and black colorway. The leaked image shows a 20mm prime lens mounted on the GX7, suggesting it will be offered as part of a kit.

The GX1 was expected to kick off a new series of enthusiast-focused mirrorless cameras when it launched in 2011 — a spiritual successor to the much-loved GF1, its focus on physical controls in a compact body won it many fans. An update is long overdue, then, but GX1 owners might have to pay more than they're used to. If 4/3 Rumors' report is accurate, the GX7 body alone will sell for €1,000 (about $1,320), whereas the GX1 cost €599.99 ($699.99).

Picture of Nokia Lumia phablet's front panel leaks online

Nokia unveiled its biggest Lumia smartphone, the Lumia 625 with 4.7-inch display globally, earlier this week. However, if new rumours are to be believed, it's working on an even bigger Lumia phone.

Chinese technology publication, ICTech has published an image of the alleged front panel of the first Nokia Lumia phablet on its Weibo account. The image clearly shows a slim bezel with Nokia branding on top beneath the earpiece. The publication also claims that Nokia has already started mass-production of the device and it would feature a 6-inch display. The image of the slim bezel also shows space left for a front camera and the sensor.

Not much is known about the device except the leaked front bezel image. But if the rumours are true then we might get to hear more about the phablet, soon.

It's worth pointing out that a Financial Times report had said that Nokia intends to launch a number of flagship devices later this year, including a supersized tablet phone. The publication had cited people with knowledge of the company's plan to report the development, who said that the phablet would be similar in size to the Galaxy Note but will have advanced specifications.

If the report turns out to be true, then we can expect Nokia's phablets to compete with the likes of Samsung's Galaxy Note series smartphones and the Mega series phablets.

Meanwhile, Nokia earlier announced the launch of the Lumia 625 that sports a 4.7-inch LCD screen, the biggest seen on a Nokia phone yet, and includes 4G connectivity. The device is powered by a 1.2GHz dual-core processor alongside 512MB RAM and 8GB internal storage that can be expanded by another 64GB via microSD card. The device includes a 5-megapixel rear camera and a VGA front-facing camera. The 4.7-inch screen sports a 480x800 pixel resolution. The Nokia Lumia 625 runs on Windows Phone 8 with Nokia's Amber update and is powered by a 2,000mAh battery.

Internet Explorer 11 developer preview now available for Windows 7

Microsoft has released a developer preview version of Internet Explorer 11 (IE11) for Windows 7.

As promised by the Redmond giant after it released the consumer preview version of Windows 8.1 with the new iteration of the browser last month, the browser can be downloaded from Microsoft's Window's website.

Microsoft announced the development on its MSDN blog and said that Internet Explorer for Windows 7 offers the same improved performance, faster page load times, new standards support for next generation sites, and completely revised F12 developer tools, that the browser's Windows 8.1 version offers.

According to Microsoft, IE11 is the first browser to natively decode JPG images in real-time on the GPU (Graphics processor), that allows web pages to load faster and use less memory, reducing power consumption and improving battery life of devices. IE11 also boasts of being the first browser to render text on the GPU. Microsoft also claims that the updated version of Internet Explorer is the first browser to implement the W3C Resource Priorities standard allowing developers to specify which parts of the page are important and need to be loaded first. It also supports HTML5 link prefetching and pre-rendering, letting developers guide the browser anticipate where users are expected to go next and get those pages ready.

The update brings some under the hood changes including support for hardware accelerated 3D web graphics with support for WebGL. It also supports plug-in free HTML5 video and the latest standards for closed captioning, adaptive streaming, wherein the quality of the video is adjusted depending on the available bandwidth, and rights management.

Microsoft has also made improvements to its JavaScript engine, Chakra with Internet Explorer 11.

According to the company, IE11 on Windows 7 is 4 percent faster than IE10, and nearly 30 percent faster than Chrome in JavaScript benchamark tests like SunSpider.

IE11 also features a completely overhauled suite of in-browser F12 developer tools. These tools help Web developers diagnose and optimize their apps quickly and efficiently, a sper Microsoft.

The browser's Windows 8.1 avatar offers additional features optimised for touch-screens including  swipe gestures for going forward and back and supports Windows 8.1's side by side mode allowing users to browse two websites on different instances of the browser on one screen.

As with any preview software, users are advised not to use the software as their primary browser, as it's likely to have some bugs.

How to get Android 4.3 to your Google Nexus Device

Google unveiled the second generation Nexus 7 tablet with Android 4.3 Jelly Bean at an event in San Francisco on Wednesday. The update is an incremental one when it comes to user facing changes, but brings a number of new features under the hood.

While the updated OS will ship with the new Nexus 7 tablet, Google has announced that it has started rolling out the Android 4.3 update to Nexus devices including the original Nexus 7 tablet, the Nexus 10 tablet, and Nexus 4 and Galaxy Nexus smartphones.

The update will be available over the air through the Settings menu on the devices. It will roll out gradually and it could take weeks before it reaches all devices. Our Galaxy Nexus smartphone has not received the update, at the time of writing this post.

You can also force your device to check for updates by going to the Apps menu from the Settings, and finding the Google Services Framework app. You can then tap on 'Clear data' and 'Force stop' options and check for the update again from the About settings menu. This doesn't harm your device in any way and is a completely safe option. However, it's not guaranteed that you'll get the update after performing these steps.

For the more adventurous, the full factory images of Android 4.3 are also available through the Android Open Source Project online, on the Google Developers website. However, you'll need to flash these images manually using special tools and unless you're pretty sure of what you're doing, we'd recommend waiting for the official update to hit your device.

Hugo Barra, Vice President of Android product management at Google also announced that the stock Android Google editions of the Samsung Galaxy S4 and the HTC One would receive the update as well, though he did not specify a timeline. 

Top 10 new features in Android 4.3 Jelly Bean

Google has announced the roll out of the next iteration of its Android operating system, dubbed as version 4.3, with the launch of its new Nexus 7 tablet. The new version will be called 'Jelly Bean' and would actually be the third version to carry the same tag after Android 4.1 and Android 4.2. The latest update comes about nine months after Google introduced Android 4.2.

However as suggested by previous leaks, the new Android version doesn't bring a big makeover and comes with a few major features. The new OS is being rolled out first to Google's Nexus range of devices including the original Nexus 7, Nexus 4, Nexus 10 tablet and will ship with the new Nexus 7. We take a look at its new features.

1. Restricted profiles

Google added multi-user profiles in the last iteration of Android and it seems the search engine giant wants to enhance that experience through restricted profiles. With the new feature, users can restrict app usage and content consumption on an Android device. So you'll be able to set profiles for each user of the device in case of multiple users. For instance, parents can control what apps or games their kids have access to on their tablets. However, it's worth pointing out that the new restricted feature is only available on Android tablets.

2. Bluetooth Smart Ready

Google seems to be making way for wearable technology by introducing the Bluetooth Smart Ready feature in Android 4.3. Devices running Android 4.3 will now support low-energy Bluetooth Smart accessories like heart rate monitors, pedometers, thermometers and many others. Users can now sync the low energy devices without these affecting the battery usage of the device, as per Google. This feature was missing on Google's mobile operating system, till now. This would also make way for Android friendly wearable tech.

3. Dial-pad Autocomplete

Android 4.3 now adds the autocomplete feature in the dial-pad suggesting contact names or phone numbers when users start keying-in something. This is not a new feature as OEMs like Samsung and HTC had already introduced this feature on to their UI skins running on top of Android, but devices running stock Android were missing it. Users can initiate the feature by going to the app settings and enabling 'Dial Pad autocomplete'

4.Notification Access

The Notification bar has been a popular feature on Android and with Android 4.3, you can control and interact with the status bar notifications. This would allow users to control how notifications are pushed to the primary and connected devices(smart watches, fitness bands). Users will also be able to see all the notifications at one place.

5. OpenGL ES 3.0

If you are a gaming junkie, the new update will definitely excite you. This feature would let Android devices render high quality graphics in games and other apps. Google claims that Android 4.3 supports the new version of the industry standard for high performance graphics. Google also gave a demo of a game showing detailed textures, lens flare, and reflections. This was missing in Android 4.2.

6. Simplified Setup Wizard

Android Jelly Bean now supports corrections to user inputs while signing-in to the device, the first time. This is due to more streamlined user agreements. Now a user can change the information that was keyed-in during the first boot of the device. Google has also introduced faster user switching from the lock screen in case of multiple users.

7. Bluetooth AVRCP

Google devices running Android 4.3 Jelly Bean can sync with Bluetooth enabled car stereos and offer additional functionality. The Bluetooth AVRCP 1.3 version allows stereos to display metadata such as song names when music is being streamed from an Android 4.3 device.

8. Location accuracy features via Wi-Fi scan only mode

Google has now increased the location accuracy of Android devices by allowing location scanning via Wi-Fi. It now allows apps to get location data through Wi-Fi even when Wi-Fi is set to off and not being used for data access.

9. Keyboard & input

Android 4.3 comes with an upgraded algorithm for tap-typing recognition that makes text input easier while chatting via messages or even while composing emails. It also brings a new emoji keyboard, which we've previously seen in iOS. The update also adds lower latency input for gamepad buttons and joysticks.

10.Hindi support lands on Android 4.3

Google has introduced native local language support to its operating system for Africaans, Amharic, Hindi, Swahili and Zulu. Hindi has finally reached the stock Android operating platform.With the update, Google has also added support for Hebrew and Arabic (right-to-left) in the home screen, Settings, Phone, People, and Keep apps.

Google Nexus 7 vs iPad mini, Kindle Fire and others

Google Inc. has announced new versions of its Nexus 7 tablet computers. It has better features and a higher price tag.
The new models are available in the U.S. from  Tuesday through Google's online Play store and the following retailers: Best Buy, Gamestop, Walmart, Staples, Office Max, Office Depot, Amazon, Home Shopping Network, Radio Shack, J&R and B&H Photo. A version with cellular capability is coming later with support for T-Mobile and Verizon.

Here's a look at how the new Nexus 7 compares with last year's model and other tablets with comparable screens.

Google's Nexus 7

Price	$229 with 16 gigabytes of storage, $269 for 32 GB. Add $80 for 32 GB model with cellular capability
Screen size:	7 inches diagonally
Screen resolution	1920 x 1200 (323 pixels per inch)
Size	7.87 inches; width 4.49 inches; thickness: 0.34 inch (200 by 114 by 8.65 millimeters)
Weight	10.2 ounces (290 grams) for base model, 10.5 ounces (299 grams) for cellular version
Cameras	5 megapixel rear camera, 1.2 megapixel front-facing camera
Battery life	9 hours
Operating system	Google's Android

Pros
Access to a variety of games, utilities and other software for Android devices, though not as extensive as apps available for iPad. Option for cellular wireless broadband.
Cons
Data storage cannot be expanded with memory cards.

Google's Nexus 7 (2012 model)

Price	$199 with 16 gigabytes of storage, $249 with 32 GB. Add $50 for 32 GB model with cellular capability.
Screen size:	7 inches diagonally
Screen resolution	1280 x 800 pixels (216 pixels per inch)
Size	height 7.81 inches; width: 4.72 inches; thickness: 0.41 inch (198.5 by 120 by 10.45 millimeters)
Weight	12 ounces (340 grams) for base model, 12.2 ounces (347 grams) for cellular version
Cameras	Front-facing, 1.2 megapixel camera
Battery life	9 hours
Operating system	Google's Android

Pros
Access to a variety of games, utilities and other software for Android devices, though not as extensive as apps available for iPad. Option for cellular wireless broadband.

Cons
Data storage cannot be expanded with memory cards.


Apple's iPad Mini

Price	$329 for base model with Wi-Fi only and 16 gigabytes of storage, $429 with 32 GB, $529 with 64 GB. Add $130 for versions with cellular capability
Screen size:	7.9 inches diagonally
Screen resolution	1024 by 768 pixels (163 pixels per inch)
Size	7.87 inches; width: 5.3 inches; thickness: 0.28 inch (200 by 134.7 by 7.2 millimeters)
Weight	10.9 ounces (308 grams) for base model, 11 ounces (312 grams) for cellular version
Cameras	5-megapixel camera on back and a low-resolution camera on front, for videoconferencing
Battery life	10 hours
Operating system	Apple's iOS

Pros
Unmatched access to third-party applications, high-quality Apple software and the iTunes store. High-resolution screen. Available with access to fast 4G wireless broadband networks, starting at $459.
Cons

Data storage cannot be expanded with memory cards.

Barnes & Noble's Nook HD

Price	$129 with 8 gigabytes of storage, $149 with 16 GB
Screen size:	7 inches diagonally
Screen resolution	1440 by 900 pixels (243 pixels per inch)
Size	height 7.65 inches; width: 5 inches; thickness: 0.43 inch (194.4 by 127.1 by 11 millimeters)
Weight	11.1 ounces (315 grams)
Cameras	None
Battery life	Upto 10.5 hours of reading and up to 9 hours of video
Operating system	Modified version of Google's Android

Pros
Expandable with microSD card. High-definition screen. Larger-screen version available.

Cons
Selection of third-party applications is small. Lacks cameras and option for cellular broadband.

Amazon.com's Kindle Fire HD.

Price	199 with 16 gigabytes of storage, $229 with 32 GB
Screen size:	7 inches diagonally
Screen resolution	1280 by 800 pixels (216 pixels per inch)
Size	: height: 7.6 inches; width: 5.4 inches; thickness: 0.4 inch (193 by 137 by 10.3 millimeters)
Weight	13.9 ounces (395 grams)
Cameras	Front-facing camera.
Battery life	11 hours.
Operating system	Modified version of Google's Android

Pros
Cheap and portable. Convenient access to Amazon store. High-definition screen. Dolby audio. Larger-screen version available, including option for cellular broadband.


Cons
Small selection of third-party applications available from Amazon. No rear camera for taking video and photos. Data storage cannot be expanded with memory cards.


Amazon.com's regular Kindle Fire

Price	$159 with 8 gigabytes of storage
Screen size:	7 inches diagonally
Screen resolution	1024 by 600 pixels (170 pixels per inch)
Size	height 7.44 inches; width: 4.72 inches; thickness: 0.45 inch (189 by 120 by 11.5 millimeters)
Weight	14.1 ounces (400 grams)
Cameras	none
Battery life	8.5 hours
Operating system	Modified version of Google's Android

Pros
Cheap and portable. Convenient access to Amazon store.

Cons
No-frills tablet lacks camera and microphone. Small selection of third-party applications available from Amazon. Data storage cannot be expanded with memory cards. No option for cellular wireless broadband.

Google's new Nexus 7 priced from £199.99 for September release in UK

Google's updated Nexus 7 tablet will cost £40 (roughly $61) more than the previous model in the UK, according to a pre-order listings from one of the country's largest consumer electronics retail groups.

PC World has the device listed on its site with a shipping date of September 13 displayed. The 16GB Wi-Fi only model is shown with a price tag of £199.99, while the 32GB version will cost £239.99.
 

That's a considerable price hike compared to the previous generation, which sells at £159.99 (16GB) and £199.99 (32GB). In the US, the price difference between new and old models is just $30 before tax. The pre-order listing also indicates a September 13th release date in the UK, but that could, of course, be subject to change.

Google announced the Nexus 7 2 at a private breakfast event in San Francisco today. The 7-inch tablet features a full 1080p HD display, a 1.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro processor and 2GB RAM.

On the back sits a 5-megapixel camera, while a 1.2-megapixel front facing camera takes care of self portraits and video calling. Also onboard is Android 4.3 which adds in quite a few back-end features as well as user profile restrictions, whereby the owner can set access rights for each different people using the device.Android 4.3 also supports OpenGL ES 3.0 and EGL extensions as standard for enhanced graphical performance, opening up a whole new set of tools for content creators. Expect to see some seriously cool titles hit the Google Play store very soon. Bizarrely, the Nexus 7 listed on PC World's website is listed as running Android Jelly Bean 4.2. Could this a mistake on PC World's side, or will the Nexus 7 2 launch on Android 4.2 in the UK with an upgradeable to Android 4.3 at a later date?

Although a 4G version of the Nexus 7 2 was announced for the US, no UK network support or prices were revealed.

Google Nexus 7 successor up for pre-orders in US, sports full-HD display, Android 4.3

Google might be just hours away from unveiling the next-generation Nexus tablets, but it seems that the party has just been spoiled by US based retailer, Best Buy.

The retailer has started taking pre-orders for the new Nexus 7 tablets prior to its official launch. The new Nexus 7, which has been listed on the retailer's website, comes at a starting price of $229.99 for the 16GB variant and $269.99 for the 32GB variant. The 3G/ LTE versions have not been listed though the tablet appears to feature a slot for the SIM-card, at the back.

This also suggests that the next-generation Nexus 7 tablets will be simply called Nexus 7 (or perhaps next generation Nexus 7), in a way following Apple's naming convention with the third generation iPad.

The new Google Nexus 7 will run Android 4.3 which will be dubbed as Jelly Bean, as per the retailer's device listing.

The listing on the US retailer's website also confirms other specifications of the new Nexus 7. The tablet comes will be 196mm in length, 112mm wide and 7.9mm thick. It features a 7.0-inch HD display with a resolution of 1920x1200 pixels and boasts 178 degree viewing angles and pixel density of 323PPI.

The tablet also features Antifingerprint technology that minimizes smudging. As per the listing the device is powered by a 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro 8064 processor and features Adreno 320 graphics for graphics, coupled with 2GB of RAM.

The new Nexus 7 sports a 5-megapixel rear camera and a 1.2-megapixel front facing camera. Connectivity options include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and NFC. The tablet comes pre-loaded with Google apps like Google Search by Voice 2.1, Gmail, Google Talk, Google Maps, Google Street View, YouTube, among others. The tablet comes in two variants 16GB and 32GB with non-expandable storage options.

Google's new Nexus 7 has been spotted several times with leaked images and specifications of the device appearing online.

Google Nexus 7 (second generation) key specifications

• 7.0-inch HD display with a resolution of 1920x1200 pixels
• 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro 8064 processor
• 2GB RAM
• 5-megapixel rear camera
• 1.2-megapixel front facing camera
• 16GB/32GB internal storage
• Android 4.3 Jelly Bean
• NFC, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi

LG's curved 55-inch OLED HDTV arrives in US priced at $14,999

Earlier today it was heard that Samsung's 55-inch curved OLED HDTV will soon be available in the US, priced at an eye-popping $14,999. Now it turns out LG has beaten its rival to the punch, though for the exact same lofty price. But whereas the Samsung TV will initially only be sold at a sole high-end electronics dealer, LG has a big box chain in its corner. Its OLED offering debuted today at Best Buy's flagship Magnolia home theater store in Richfield, Minnesota. And in the coming weeks, you'll be able to walk into stores in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Miami, Houston, and select other cities and take home your own curved set.

LG initially brought the ultra-premium 55-inch HDTV — which measures just 4.3 millimeters thick — to Korea last month. But by summer's end, the company says you'll be able to purchase the 55EA9800 at any Best Buy nationwide that contains a designated Magnolia shop. LG expects demand for OLED sets to hit 7 million by 2016. Still, consumers who can somehow justify such an extravagant purchase will need to decide whether "next-generation display technology" and that curved form are enough to steer them away from 4K (or perfectly good 1080p options) when the time to upgrade comes.