X marks the spot: Sony’s new mobile focus

Sony is streamlining its smartphone arm and has officially dropped its Xperia Z, M, E, and C lines to focus on its Xperia X range. This line though, according to Sony Mobile EVP of Global Sales & Marketing Hideyuki Furumi, will include a “range of X series, top to bottom.” The company is also attaching the Xperia name to other categories like the Xperia Ear and Xperia Projector. We’ve seen other brands try to focus on a specific line and perhaps it might work for Sony. Furumi told Tech Radar that the other products will still be on sale but don’t expect any new Xperia Z’s heading your way.

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Acer introduces Chromebook with 13-inch touchscreen display

Acer outs the biggest Chromebook yet. The new Chromebook R13 revealed at IFA in Berlin sports a 13.3-inch touch-based 1080p IPS display. The Chromebooks of past have all played in the 10- to 11-inch space so it’s refreshing to see a bigger model. This laptop is convertible into a tablet with 10-point touch capabilities and allows for tapping, swiping, and pinch-to-zoom gestures. While Chrome OS isn’t particularly touch-friendly, the feature might come in handy when Android apps come to Chromebooks soon.

Other specs for the R13 include USB Type-C port, USB 3.0, HDMI out, Bluetooth 4.0 support, and 720p webcam. It comes with 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB storage and 4GB of RAM. Battery life is touted at 12 hours. The R13 will be available in October with starting price at US$400 (roughly CA$520).

Source: Gizmodo

Play with your pet even remotely with Acer’s new pet cam

Acer subsidiary Pawbo outs a new pet cam at IFA that lets you play with your furry little creatures even when you’re not at home. The Pawbo+ has a laser pointer to let you play with your cat and it dispenses treats as well. The footage it takes can be live streamed to you and seven other users. It will eventually be paired with accessories, such as a whack-a-mole game called Pawbo Punch and Pawbo Catch. If you want to catch your pets being silly, the videos taken can be stored on either Dropbox or Google Drive and photos can be saved locally on your phones. The camera will retail for US$169 (approx. $220 CAD) starting November.

Source: The Verge

Lenovo and Hasselblad team up to create True Zoom Moto Mod camera

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

Moto Mods are magnetic accessories that transform Lenovo's Moto Z line of smartphones into better standalone devices. We've already seen the JBL speakers, the Lenovo projector and various Style Mods and battery cases but the Hasselblad True Zoom Moto Mod elevates the idea of turning your smartphone into a camera.

Hasselblad needs no introduction, they are synonymous with professional grade cameras and lenses. Their first foray into mobile photography brings 10x Optical Zoom and a Xenon flash to any Moto Z smartphone. More importanly, the Moto Mod also adds the ability to shoot in RAW format which can gather more photo information and is better for editing and printing. A plug-and-play attachment, the True Zoom mod will also offer access to Phocus Hasselblad editing software. An ideal replacement to a standalon SLR or travel camera, the Hasselblad True Zoom will be available in Canada starting in October. Pricing and availability will be announced closer to October.