Sony Xperia Z hands-on

Watch out Samsung! There's someone gunning to dethrone you in the Android smartphone space, and more importantly, it looks as though they're getting started ahead of everyone. That's right folks, it's none other than Sony who is shaking things up here at the Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas. Just as the leaks have shown in the last month or so, Sony's upcoming flagship is indeed for real!

Simply known as the Sony Xperia Z, it’s the Japanese company’s dubbed flagship device – and boy does it have the impressive specs sheet to live up to that recognition! Certainly we’re drooling over its wicked hardware, which consists of many lovable elements that would crush most of the existing line high-end smartphones on the market right now, but interestingly enough, it merely matches some of the stuff we’ve seen already put forth by the HTC DROID DNA most recently.

First and foremost, the Sony Xperia Z travels in a different path from some of the other Xperia branded devices we’ve seen in the last year. Even though it might retain some of the Xperia design DNA, it’s a little bit different this time – mainly because it’s sporting a glossy finish with its casing, as opposed to some sort of cleaner looking finish. Of course, it’s a big magnet for things such as fingerprints and smudges, but to tell you the truth, it’s soundly solid with its construction. At the same time, Sony has been able to keep its profile relatively thin. Overall, it’s undoubtedly a handful to hold, but when you combine its sharp industrial design with its sturdiness, which includes being waterproof and dustproof, it’s a safe bet to assume it’ll withstand a lot more punishment than some of its highly esteemed rivals.

Turning on the Sony Xperia X, our eyes relish the vibrant screen it’s packing along. Specifically, it’s a 5-inch 1080p display that’s using the Mobile BRAVIA 2 engine, which simply comes to life with its high contrast, robust color reproduction, and sharp viewing angles. Right away, it’s really the centerpiece of the Sony Xperia Z, since it’s the first thing to really catch our eyes from afar.

Under the hood, a 1.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon processor coupled with 2GB of RAM is running the show. Although it’s able to win us over with its mostly responsive performance, we’re still seeing some sluggishness perusing around the UI – though, it’s worth noting that this is a pre-production model we’re scoping out, so it could be other software bugs that can be the culprit behind it. Rounding things out, it’s impressively packing along a 13-megapixel auto-focus camera that features an Exmor RS sensor, LED flash, and 1080p video recording. Additionally, it’s carrying along 4G LTE connectivity, a microSD card slot, 2,330 mAh battery, and NFC.

With this particular pre-production model, it’s running Sony’s specific custom UI, an updated version of Timescape of course, which definitely packs its own set of eye candy, but from our cursory exposure, it doesn’t seem to be drastically different in terms of comprehensive functionality. Oh yeah, did we mention that it’s Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, with an anticipated software update to 4.2 sometime after launch?

In the greater scheme of things, Sony neglected to provide an exact price point and release date for this monster, but it’s currently slated for a Q1 release, which means it can potentially be out any time before March. Needless to say, time might be working against this one indeed launches later in March, but if it really wants to take the crown by force, they need to get this one out sooner than later – with a price point that’s no doubt on the aggressive side as well.

Symantec Launches Mobility Solution Specialization For Channel

Symantec has introduced new mobility solution specialization and cloud enablement offerings for its channel partners in India.

The company launched a dedicated mobility channel specialization program that will allow partners to offer Symantec’s enterprise mobility products to their customers.

The mobility solution specialization will cover the full Symantec Mobile Management Suite and will provide partners access to opportunity registration, expert resources, enablement programs, and accreditations in a multi-tier model.

The specialization also gives partners a unique position to help overcome the challenges BYOD presents by offering a complete set of solutions, thus adding multiple opportunities for value-added services and revenue streams.

For its vision on cloud, company launched resources for partners such as CloudSmart e-learning course, the Symantec Cloud Security Essentials Training in which the company shares cloud knowledge and best practices for building and protecting clouds, helping customers design and architect a comprehensive cloud data security strategy based on Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) guidelines.

Symantec’s enhanced subscription-based licensing program (ExSP) is a subscription-based licensing model. The program offers Symantec partners the choice of buying Symantec software in a monthly subscription-based model, providing them with greater flexibility in how they deliver solutions to their customers. The program rewards service partners for their growth by reducing licensing costs as their volume of business increases. The Symantec ExSP Licensing Program is open to partners enrolled in Symantec’s Partner Program who are qualified service providers.

Said Amitabh Jacob, Director, Channels, Symantec, India & Saarc, “The new specialization and cloud enablement offerings provide partners with the tools and resources to increase their marketability and drive additional revenue.”

“Customers are increasingly asking us to help them address challenges such as BYOD and manage disparate mobile devices securely within the corporate network as well as the cloud,” said Sunil Dalal, Managing Director, Softcell. “We are excited to build expertise in the mobility and cloud programs to address these opportunities and generate value for our customers.”

"Cloud computing as a technology trend is seeing a lot of interest from customers. However, not many are aware of how they can take advantage of the cloud effectively,” said Prashant Mudbidri, Director, Logix InfoSecurity. “Symantec’s new cloud enablement offerings are a welcome move to enhance our skills and reinforce customer confidence in our capabilities to assist them in leveraging the cloud model.”

Intel Unveils New Motherboard Roadmap.......

Intel sees a healthy desktop market in the days ahead, and is readying its channels to address new opportunities in this market. The chip major has affirmed that it will keep working with the system builder channel for the motherboard business and will drive innovation in the space.

“Our biggest message is that 2013 will be an exciting year for the desktop business, and you will see bigger innovations happening. The desktop market is not dead, it’s simply evolving,” said Taha Mughir, Worldwide Customer Marketing Manager, Intel Client Board Division.

Mughir said that Intel will unveil a new form factor called Next Unit of Computing in the country. The 4-inch x 4-inch motherboard features an integrated Core i3 with 7-series chipset, mini-PCIe slot, mSATA slot, two SO-DIMM slots and three USB ports. Power is supplied by an external AC/DC adapter, but there is also a small 2-pin header for optional internal power supply.

“We have already launched the product in other markets and are excited about introducing it in India. In the US, a full-fledged system without monitor and OS, but having a 80/120 GB SSD drive, is retailing at $399. We expect similar pricing from our system builder partners here,” he said.

According to Mughir, Intel sees four other form factors existing simultaneously. “The ATX form factor will be around as the enthusiast/gaming segment needs a larger form factor, Micro ATX will remain for the mainstream desktop market, the mini ITX for the Atom and PC-like embedded market, and the thin mini ITX for the AIO.”

He forecast that AIOs will gain a dominant marketshare to the extent of 30 percent by 2014. “We now have 7-8 strong suppliers of building blocks (such as chassis) for this market, and building block costs are coming down.”

He added that channels must look beyond the value PC market to stay ahead of the competition. Mughir identified markets such as high-end gaming and workstations, PC-like embedded, and AIOs as the three market segments where system builders are likely to dominate. “We have introduced new models for the PC-like embedded market, and now have embedded form factors supporting up to Core i7. Though we have partners building solutions for nearly 200 niche segments, we have identified PoS, digital signage and surveillance as the three key markets for our channels.”

Meanwhile, Intel has released solution recipes (popularly known as cookbooks) which allow resellers to build solutions for these target markets.

Mughir said that in 2013 Intel will launch Haswell, the next generation of the Core series of processors. He also said that next year the mainstream motherboard chipset market is likely to see a transition from the H61 to H67/77.

Flying on Sunshine........

Once futuristic visions, solar sails now take off............

When it comes to futuristic space travel, few concepts are more romantic than sailing on sunlight. Soar above Earth, unfurl a jib and tack your way through the solar system all the way to interstellar space.
Solar sails have been a mainstay of dreamers since Johannes Kepler, who speculated four centuries ago that ships would one day be powered by “heavenly air.” But sun sailing is no longer fanciful fodder for visionaries. Recent technological advances have moved solar sailing from science fiction to science fact.

After keeping scientists in suspense, NASA’s NanoSail-D (illustration shown) fanned out in space earlier this year. Solar sails like this one may be the future of space travel.

Last year, Japan’s space agency launched the world’s first solar sail into interplanetary space; its metal-coated membrane unfurled and caught the light to begin sunjamming. And with help from tiny “nanosatellites” that allow scientists to pack folded-up sails in spacecraft no bigger than a loaf of bread, NASA this year sent its first sail skipping through Earth orbit.
Look overhead at the right time of night, and you can spot the gleaming streak of NASA’s NanoSail-D as it tumbles closer to Earth, mission accomplished. Within the next few months it will incinerate in the atmosphere in a bright flash.
In addition to the Japanese and U.S. efforts, the privately funded Planetary Society expects to launch its own sail next year, as does a satellite design team based at the University of Surrey in England.

Solar sail enthusiasts have waited decades to see such flights. And one day, they hope, solar sails will perform tasks other spacecraft cannot: hover above Earth’s poles to monitor climate change, flit near the sun to watch for solar storms, drag space junk out of orbit like a cosmic maid or even journey to a nearby star.
“As far as solar sails go, we are on the cusp of history,” says Dean Alhorn, an engineer at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., who leads the NanoSail-D mission. “We are ready now with the technology to make these happen.”

Your social brain

Nerve cells notice mistakes and learn from others’ desires................

Some nerve cells snicker at mistakes. Others compel a person to want someone else’s stuff. By studying these phenomena, scientists are learning more than just where schadenfreude and jealousy lie in the brain; they’re gaining an unprecedented view of how social influences can worm into a person’s head.
Such new results carry researchers beyond studying the brain in isolation to studying it as a social actor. Ultimately, this work could help forge a deeper understanding of how the brain learns by using the behavior of others as a guide.
Earlier this year, Japanese researchers uncovered a small group of nerve cells that fire when a macaque witnesses another monkey making a mistake. These cells, located in the front of the brain, remained silent when a monkey made an error itself, but howled when the monkey saw a partner screw up (SN: 9/8/12, p. 12). Humans probably have similar cells, says study coauthor Masaki Isoda, now at Kansai Medical University in Osaka, Japan.
Finding cells that respond to another animal’s error but not to the monkey’s own mistakes was a surprise, showing that the cells behave distinctly from those in the brain’s mirror neuron system. A collection of nerve cells that are active while a subject is both doing and observing another doing, the mirror neuron system has been proposed as a way for the brain to make sense of the actions of others. But these new results, and others like them, paint a more complex picture.
Other research reveals more about how the mirror neuron system helps the brain learn from others. In a different social setting, mirror neurons team up with another system in the brain — the bean-counting system — to make an object in someone else’s possession automatically more desirable (SN: 6/30/12, p. 12). French researchers found that candy, tools and clothes in someone else’s hands held more allure than an untouched object, a copycat phenomenon called “mimetic desire” by the philosopher René Girard.
This automatic upgrade happens in two steps, the researchers found: Initially, the mirror neuron system detects that someone else has something of interest. Then, that information gets sent to the brain’s value-assigning system, which adjusts the value of the object upward.
Although these traits — coveting possessions and nitpicking mistakes — are things parents teach their children not to do, they may serve an important function, researchers say. Watching what other people do wrong and what they acquire can yield valuable information about how to get along in this world.