Samsung Galaxy S III, Sony Xperia Ion gain ability to learn by touching

There's a form of extra-sensory perception called psychometry, whose practitioners claim to learn things about objects by touching them. Smartphones set to be released this month by Samsung and Sony will have some of that ability: they'll learn things when you touch them to pre-programmed "tags."

For example, you can program a tag with your phone number, and stick it on your business card. When someone taps the phone to the card, the phone would call you. Or you can put a tag on your night stand. Place the phone there, and it goes into "alarm clock" mode, holding your calls until the morning.

Samsung Electronics Co. announced this week that it will be selling these tags in the form of stickers it calls "TecTiles" - $15 for 5 of them. They'll work with its new flagship Samsung Galaxy S III smartphone, set to launch in a few weeks, and several others already in the market, including the HTC EVO 4G LTE sold by Sprint Nextel.

Sony Corp.'s Xperia Ion, to be released June 24, will come with the ability to read different coin-like plastic tags that read "Home," ''Office" and so forth. The tags cost $20 for four, and the phone can be programmed to react differently to each tag. The "Car" tag can launch a navigation application, for instance. Tapping "Home" can send a text message to the rest of the family that you're home, and set the ringer volume to maximum.

Samsung Galaxy S III, See More Photos

The big push behind the technology, which is known as Near-Field Communications, comes from companies that see the phone as the wallet of the future. When touched to payment terminals, NFC-equipped phones can act as credit or debit cards.

But turning phones into credit cards is a tall order. Mobile payments already work with a few phones, but broad adoption is being held up while cellphone companies, banks, payment processors and retailers work out who pays for what and who benefits.

This ability to sense things close by is made possible by a new type of communications hardware in phones, complementing long-range cellular radios, medium-range Wi-Fi and short-range Bluetooth.

The latest version of Google Inc.'s Android software, known as Ice Cream Sandwich, comes with the ability to use NFC to communicate from phone to phone. When the backs are tapped together, the owners can trade information like contacts.

Samsung takes this one step further with the Galaxy S III. Tap two phones together, and they set up a connection via Wi-Fi. That means the owners can walk away from each other, and as long as they're in the same room or so, they can transfer photos and even hefty video files between their phones.

There are issues to work out. The Samsung tags can be read by most Android phones that have NFC capability, but not the Sony phone. Samsung and HTC phones won't recognize the Sony tags.

Apple Inc., whose iPhones are trendsetters in many ways, hasn't built NFC into them - yet. Its patent filings hint at an interest in NFC, but they've given no clue when the technology might show up in iPhones.

Nick Holland, an analyst with Yankee Group, believes NFC will shine first in non-payment applications, because they're easier to sort out, and the technology has many uses. There have been NFC trials in Sweden, using phones as hotel room keys, he points out. Another compelling use case would be Wi-Fi hotspots. A cafe that wants to limit access to the local hotspot might let patrons tap their phones against a tag instead of having them laboriously enter a password.

"There's been an over-focus on the wallets," Holland said. "It's a technology that's not designed purely for payments."

For advertisers, NFC tags could replace the so-called "QR" codes - two-dimensional bar codes that need to be photographed with specially downloaded software to be deciphered, so they can send a consumer to the advertiser's website or earn them a coupon for a discount. QR codes work at a distance, unlike NFC tags, but have significant drawbacks.

"Someone described them as 'digital vomit' recently. You can't make them look pretty," Holland said.

Each NFC tag includes a tiny chip, which explains the relatively high prices Samsung and Sony are charging. Those prices will come down, Holland said, as adoption rises. QR codes, of course, have the advantage of being very cheap, since they can be created on a simple printer.

The big makers of NFC chips are NXP Semiconductors N.V., a Dutch company, and Inside Secure, a French one. But competition is looming, Holland said, from bigger chip companies like Broadcom Corp. and Texas Instruments Inc.

"Basically, anyone who's making chips is looking at NFC as a new area they could move into," Holland said.

Via: CBS News

Compare Sony Xperia Ion and Samsung Galaxy S III

We try to compare Sony Xperia Ion VS Samsung Galaxy S III, both of them is upcoming smartphone. For you fans of samsung products, samsung galaxy S III would be the top choice at this time. In some countries, such as in India, samsung galaxy s III has been officially released and marketed, but not yet available globally. And Xperia Ion will be available this month according to the previeous post.

We’ll start comparing by looking at some of the specs and features of the Galaxy S3, Samsung’s flagship smartphone. This features a 1.4GHz Exynos 4 quad-core processor, at least for the international variant. The CPU for the U.S. has not yet been detailed but as the US version will offer 4G LTE connectivity it may have a dual-core processor instead, probably the Snapdragon S4. 

The display is a 4.8-inch HD Super AMOLED with resolution of 1280 x 720 and it has 16/32GB of internal storage, expandable via microSD.

Looking at the camera the Galaxy S3 has an 8-megapixel rear camera with autofocus, flash, zero shutter lag and 1080p video recording capability as well as a 1.9-megapixel front-facing camera. It also has LTE connectivity, NFC support and a 2100mAh battery and runs on the latest Android OS, 4.0 ICS overlaid with Touchwiz. Dimensions are 136.6mm x 70.6mm x 8.6mm and it’s not only slim but also light at only 133 grams.

Moving on to the Xperia ion and this has a 1.5GHz MSM8260 Snapdragon dual-core processor and a 4.55-inch HD LCD display with resolution of 1280 x 720. The camera set up is a 12-megapixel rear camera with autofocus, flash and Exmor R sensor with 1080p HD video capture. There’s also a 1.3-megapixel front-facer. This has 1GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage, expandable through microSD.

The Xperia ion also has 4G LTE connectivity and NFC and the battery is 1900mAh. About the only thing that lets it down is that it will run on Android 2.3 Gingerbread with a 4.0 update to come later. Dimensions are 133mm x 68mm x 10.6mm and it weighs 44 grams.

Comparing these two smartphones shows us that the Galaxy 3 has the edge on processor with its quad-core CPU (international variant) and it also has a bigger battery capacity and larger storage options. The OS on launch will be the latest available and another important thing to remember is the software that Samsung has very much focused on, which includes such features as S Voice, Samsung’s response to Apple’s Siri on the iPhone. 

However one point that seems to have been commented on widely in reports is that the design is a bit bland and that the plastic build feels cheap, although the Galaxy S3 is the slimmest and lightest of the two.

On the other hand the Xperia ion has the better camera set up and is also PlayStation Certified for an enhanced gaming experience. The design of the Xperia ion is also a big plus point as it’s sleek and stylish and should appeal to many. Pricing for both handsets is yet to be announced. 

Release-wise the Galaxy S3 is being launched in the UK and Europe at the end of May and then in the US at some point in the summer. The Xperia ion release was originally set for Q2 so we are still hoping to see it by June at the latest.

Ultimately of course, personal requirements will have a large part to play in choosing between these two, such as whether you use your phone a lot for photography or display preference. Both are very impressive smartphones and it may be simply the look of the handsets that helps you make your choice.

We’re always interested in comments that our readers send to us so if you’re intending to purchase a new smartphone soon why not let us know which one of these you might opt for and why? Alternatively maybe your head has already been turned by another new or upcoming smartphone?

Compare Sony Xperia Ion vs Sony Xperia S

CES 2012 was a huge event for many mobile manufacturers showcasing their new products for this year. Many of them proved to be quite heavy contenders with their awesome line-up of smartphones, tablets, and accessories for the coming months.  CES 2012 also marked the end of Sony Ericsson and the birth of Sony Mobile Communications.

At the same CES 2012, the previously rumored Sony Xperia Nozomi finally made its first official appearance, with Sony’s introducing the device as the Xperia Ion for AT&T in the U.S. and as the Xperia S for the rest of the world.

If you have been a loyal Sony Ericsson Xperia fan before, then you’ll surely love the way Sony has still kept the Xperia branding on their two new mobile phones.

Although the Sony Xperia Ion and Xperia S are two totally different devices, they are very much the same in terms of features and specifications. Read on and find out our first impressions of the Comparison Xperia S and Xperia Ion.

Design and Display

Both the Xperia S and Xperia Ion are nearly the same devices. Although they don’t look alike, the two phones share a lot of similar hardware specifications.

The two devices are almost of the same size, with only a few millimeters difference.  The Xperia Ion is 133 mm tall and 68 mm wide, while the Xperia S is 128 mm tall and 64 mm wide.  Both are also nearly of the same thickness, with the Xperia Ion measuring 10.8 mm and the Xperia S measuring 10.6 mm.  They both weigh 144 grams.

The AT&T Xperia Ion features a 4.55-inch touchscreen display cramming up to 323 ppi while the international version, the Xperia S, sports a 4.3-inch touchscreen display with a larger pixel density of 342 ppi.

Both phones have an identical screen resolution of 720×1280 pixels and use the same Sony signature trademark display technology, the Sony Mobile BRAVIA Engine.

Storage and Processor

The Xperia S and Xperia Ion come packed with 1 GB of RAM and 16 GB of internal storage. The only downside of the Xperia S is that it doesn’t feature a microSD card slot.  The Xperia Ion has one that can support up to 32 GB of external storage. Powering both devices is a 1.5 GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8260 processor with Adreno 220 GPU.

Camera

In the camera department, both phones feature an impressive 12 MP camera that can take shots up to a maximum of 4000×3000 pixels and a 1.3 MP shooter on the front side for video calls.  Previous Xperia handsets are known for their impressive Sony cameras.  It will be little surprise if the ones on the Xperia Ion and the Xperia S would be anything less than great in quality.

Operating System

Both the Xperia Ion and Xperia S run on Android 2.3 Gingerbread, and both are slated for upgrading to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich within the year.  Previous owners of Sony Ericsson Xperia devices will not need to learn their way around the interface, as the two devices sport the same familiar Timescape UI of its predecessors.

Conclusion

With Sony already owning Ericsson’s shares, it’s about time that the company shook up the competition. Both the Xperia Ion and Xperia S are Sony’s first dual-core offerings promising better performance in terms of speed and functionality. It’s too early to say whether Sony will succeed with its latest Xperia offerings, but it’s good to know that Sony is integrating its expertise in consumer electronics to the company’s pioneering smartphones.