Samsung Electronics and Sony are reportdely getting ready to announce their latest smartphones and wearable devices prior to Apple's release of new products, according to market watchers.
Sony is set to host a product launch conference on September 4 at IFA in Berlin, Germany. Digitimes.com reports that the Japanese company will release its new 5-inch Xperia i1 smartphone and DSC-QX10 and DSC-QX100 cameras. The DSC-QX10 features a 28-100mm lens, while the DSC-QX100 offers 10x optical zoom.
Samsung will also host a product launch conference on the same day, unveiling its new Galaxy Note smartphones, which reportedly may feature 5.5-, 5.7- and 6-inch displays. Samsung reportedly will also unveil its new smart watch, the Galaxy Gear at the show, the market watchers said.
The Galaxy Gear is rumored to feature similar specifications as Sony's SmartWatch 2 launched recently, equipped with a 1.6-incn display. According to a report from Bloomberg, the Gear will be an Android-powered smartwatch.
In late July, Samsung filed an application for a U.S. trademark for the name "Samsung Galaxy Gear" that would be used for "wearable digital electronic devices in the form of a wristwatch, wrist band, or bangle capable of providing access to the Internet and for sending and receiving phone calls, electronic mails and messages."
Additionally, the application states that the devices could also be used for "the wireless receipt, storage and/or transmission of data and messages and for keeping track of or managing personal information; smart phones; tablet computers; portable computers."
What's left to see is whether Samsung's new device will have any additional software features that could attract candidate buyers.
In the meantime, Samsung's 6.3-inch Galaxy Mega phone will be available on Friday from AT&T for $150 with a two-year service contract. The device, which is also coming to Sprint and U.S. Cellular, is a hybrid that combines the portability of a smartphone with the experience that a tablet offers for movies, books, music and games.
The Galaxy Mega's huge screen offers an HD Super Clear display with a resolution of 1,280x720 pixels. The device runs on Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, it has a dual-core 1.7 GHz processor, 8-megapixel rear camera, 1.5 GB of RAM, and 16GB of internal storage. Users can expand the capacity to 64GB with an external microSD card.